chuckles but makes no apologies or room.
“Why did you do that?” I ask.
“Did you hate it, Ohio?”
“No.”
“Then why ask?”
My pulse gallops as I lean back.
Screw the rules and the fear and the chance he’ll break my heart. He might. Judging by how I reacted to seeing him with Liz, he could. But as hard as I tried not to be, I’m interested in this thing with him, whatever it is. The only hope I have that he might be interested, too, is Liz’s words. How ironic.
“She said I never looked at her the way I look at you.”
This is a risk—a huge one—but we’re here. I’m here. And . . . I want to be.
“Because if you’re gonna kiss me like that, I need a warning. Hey!” I say as he jerks me around.
He has my hand tucked in his and is leading me toward the truck. We pass the truck and continue down a little solar-lit walkway. At the end of the path sits a small outbuilding with an arched room and floor-to-ceiling glass walls.
He unlocks the door with a four-digit code, and we step inside. The lock is engaged with a sharp snap. There’s a rustle behind me as Trevor searches for a light. And then softly, small, twinkly lights glow around the room.
Plants fill the space. There are some on tables, some on the floor, some hanging from the ceiling. Little Christmas lights dangle in different places, giving just enough light to not trip and fall.
“The greenhouse,” I whisper. “Oh, my God. This is unreal.”
Trevor steps in front of me. His shoulders are back, his eyes broody. He takes my face in his hands.
I gasp, unprepared for the contact. “What are you doing?”
“I’m warning you,” he says softly. “I’m going to kiss you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
HALEY
I stand under the soft glow of a string of lights. My arm slides against a slick, waxy leaf as I back away slowly from Trevor.
He’s eating me alive with his eyes. Sizzling the sides of my face where his thumbs gently stroke my skin. Setting my body ablaze as it becomes apparent he’s on the verge of losing control.
I ache. Every piece of my body demands contact from this ridiculously good-looking man. With every press of the pad of his thumb, another ripple of want shoots through my veins.
I’m not sure if the humming sound pulsing around me is coming from the greenhouse or inside my body, but the continuous pressure quickens my thoughts.
I want him. I want him here and now, and whatever happens after, I’ll deal.
And that’s it.
“I’m warning you,” I tell him. The lines around his eyes bend as he narrows them. “If you start kissing me this time, you better not stop.”
He pulls my face to his, crashing his mouth to mine. His hands drop to the sides of my neck, then to my shoulders, before they scale the length of my back.
I moan into his mouth as he slides his tongue inside. My hands plant on his chest, my fingers flexing against his pecs.
He groans, the sound barreling to my core. It cinches my lower belly, and I buckle with the strain.
His hands find the underneath of my behind and cup my ass. He jostles me forward until our bodies are pancaked together, and the only way we’d be more connected is if he were inside me.
I tremble at the thought, feeling his tongue dip inside my mouth again. He explores me like he has every right and permission to stake claim to my body.
“Trevor,” I whisper as his lips drag along my jaw. He lays kisses one at a time down my neck and then up again until he’s nestled behind my ear. He nibbles my earlobe, pulling it with his teeth, and I think I’m going to explode.
My body sags against his. His fingers bite into my skin, the tips close enough to my opening to tease, but not close enough to do any good.
A shot of adrenaline soars through my frame, and I become acutely aware of my situation. I’m going to do this or I’m not.
Trevor takes a step back, his breathing ragged and heavy. His chest rises and falls like he’s run a mile but is ready, and willing, to run another should I request it.
“Hey,” I say, fighting to catch my breath.
“Hey, what?”
“I thought I told you not to stop.”
He grins, a sexy smirk showing off the dimple in his left cheek. His mouth opens and his tongue touches his top lip.